BAM Nuttall brings Virtual Reality to RHS Chelsea Flower Show

24 May 2017

You may not think of the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show as a hub for technological innovation but the event has embraced some of the latest immersive solutions. For this years' event, civil engineering contractor BAM Nuttall has partnered with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to create a virtual walk through scan inside the Great Pavilion.

Using Matterport cameras and software, BAM Nuttall will be replicating the route that the royals will take today through the marquee's exhibits.

"With a phenomenal growth in popularity for VR in recent years, BAM Nuttall is thrilled to be working at this iconic event," said Colin Evison, Head of Innovation at BAM Nuttall in a statement. "This will be the first time we have created VR content outside of the construction industry but are looking forward to giving visitors a souvenir of the event and showing off the state-of-the-art designs to those who were unable to make it in person this year."

Additionally, BAM Nuttall will also be capturing 360-degree images of many of the globally-inspired show gardens, taken from the centre of each plot, providing a previously inaccessible viewpoint for the public.

While Nick Mattingley, RHS Director of Shows, commented: "RHS Chelsea Flower Show is more innovative and cutting-edge than ever before and this Virtual Reality experience, another first for the Show, will enable us to bring the world's most prestigious flower show into the homes of many thousands more people who missed out on tickets this year. We're so excited about BAM Nuttall's plans and can't wait to see the finished product which will be available on the RHS website from Monday 22nd May. We want to share our love and passion for horticulture and hope this immersive Virtual Reality experience sparks an interest from people who mightn't have considered the joys of gardening before."